Crescendo- The N&D Trilogy Part 1
by EvilTim
Summary: This is the one that started it all...Set late S6 post-"Visions Of Daphne"


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**_Author's Notes:_**_ First of all, I would like to tell you a little bit of info. and background. It seems that I am one of the few male writers of Frasier fanfic so far and, at 19, one of the youngest, and I guess it's good to feel special...hah! I have been writing for several years, mostly poems and song lyrics, but I have never written any fanfic before so bear with me, OK? _

_The genesis of this story goes back to a bet a friend and fellow Frasier fan made with me that I couldn't write my own fan fiction piece. Enjoying the chance to prove him wrong, I agreed, but no solid ideas came...until recently. I was lying awake at about 1:30 AM and suddenly I found myself reaching for paper and pen and a couple hours later, the basic story for "Crescendo" emerged. I tweaked it a bit, especially the ending, until "version 3" was done, and I decided it was the best. _

_Also, I would like to say that I wanted to keep this plausible with the events of season 6 and to avoid the notorious "wedding incident" as seen in many other sitcoms. I think it could be made into a workable script with some alterations including the other cast more (as opposed to this, which focuses almost entirely on Niles and Daphne), but I preferred to write it in prose format. _

_Finally, to state the obvious, I do not own Frasier or any of its characters (though wouldn't it be cool if I did)! and am writing this only for fun, not any sort of financial gain whatsoever, and this script is NOT part of any diabolical plan of mine for world domination...so enjoy!_

## "Crescendo"

By Tim Shaw _(aka EvilTim)_

It was another miserable rainy Friday night in Seattle. Fitting weather indeed, thought Niles as he sat alone at the Montana, staring out the window at the rain, listening to some mournful cello piece on the stereo, and thinking about Daphne. He was feeling quite depressed. Really, he thought, there was nothing he could do, and certainly Daphne and Donny seemed unlikely to split up anytime soon. He found his mind drifting back to the time he and Daphne had kissed during the tango at the snowball, how he had been so elated, only to have Daphne comment on his "acting." And all the other times that he had come close to confessing his feelings for her, but something always seemed to happen, sometimes due to his own fear of rejection, sometimes to Frasier's interference, and other times, simply bad luck and bad timing. Love, he thought, is some cruel bitch-goddess, toying with him, tempting him with Daphne, getting his hopes up, only to pull her away and leave him devastated. Love seemed just like other kids from his youth, having fun at his expense. Niles Crane, love's perpetual loser. 

It had been almost two long, agonizing months since he was forced to watch, in helpless horror, as Donny proposed to her, and as she tearfully accepted. Since then he had sunk steadily into a deepening, all-encompassing depression that was beginning to effect all aspects of his life. He almost didn't care anymore. Perhaps he would tell her the truth, and to hell with Donny. But, he knew, he would only be shot down. But was it worth it to end the horrible agony of not being able to reveal his feelings? It was tearing him apart, from the inside out, and something had to give soon. 

Yet if Daphne rejected him, (and he was sure she would) then he would be back to square one. He simply loathed the whole dating game, and casual relationships in the style of his brother were just not his forte, as his recent fling with Kit had so well illustrated. And then there was the fact that he had been in love with Daphne so intensely and for so long that he had no idea how he would ever get over her rejection. 

He poured himself a glass of wine, one of many that night, and said to his empty apartment, "Something has to change, and soon." 

-------------------- 

That same night in Frasier's apartment, Roz, Frasier, and Martin sat in the living room having a conversation. Daphne was out with Donny for the night. 

"You know, I am beginning to get really worried about Niles. Ever since Daphne's engagement he hasn't been himself. He spends most of his free time alone, I've never known him to drink like this, and hardly ever stops by anymore," said Frasier. 

"Well of course not," replied Roz. "If he came over here it would just remind him of Daphne. Maybe he just needs some time alone." 

"Perhaps, but he's showing all the signs of someone going into severe depression, and I just don't know how well he can handle it," Frasier responded. 

Martin spoke next. "I have absolutely NO idea how he will ever make it through the wedding." 

The comment began to sink in and all three of them fell silent, concerned for Niles. 

-------------------- 

Later that night, Daphne lied awake in bed, unable to sleep because she had been feeling uneasy about her relationship with Donny. She had the feeling that he wasn't right for her, honestly, she felt like she didn't deserve him, that she wanted to marry him only because he had asked. And the strange thing was, she couldn't see anything really wrong with him. He was attractive, intelligent, sweet, and successful. But, she just realized, she wasn't in love with him. She lacked...passion for him. But she didn't quite want to break it off, really, either. For all she knew, Donny might be her last chance at marriage. But she didn't want to hurt Donny. She knew that he was in love with her, and that wasn't going to make it any easier. Yet to go on like this would be deceiving him, and she didn't want to do that. 

And then there was the matter of the man in her visions, the man she was destined to be with. His identity still eluded her, though he had been appearing in her dreams often lately. His face was a blur, and he did not speak, but from what she could see he was impeccably well-dressed and quite slender. She guessed that he must be successful, given his dress, and therefore intelligent and well-educated. Not usually the type of man she went for, she noted, as she usually preferred more rugged, down-to-earth types. 

And strangest of all, she had a sensation that he was someone she knew, and that she was missing some horribly obvious clue as to his identity. But her mind was quickly diverted as she tried to think of a way to let Donny down easily. 

-------------------- 

The next night, Daphne met Donny for dinner at their usual restaurant of choice. Daphne was clearly uneasy throughout the evening. 

"What's wrong," Donny asked, noticing her anxiety. 

"Umm...Donny, I came here tonight to tell you something, and I don't think you are going to like it." 

"Well, what is it, Daphne?" 

"I don't know how to say this...but I'm afraid that I'm not in love with you anymore. I'm so sorry, but I can't marry you. I wish I didn't have to tell you this...I feel horrible, but I just don't think it would be fair to you to go on like this. I hope you'll understand that." 

Donny looked oddly relieved. "Don't be sorry," he said. "I sort of had that feeling myself, that we rushed into this. I meant to talk to you about it ...but don't blame yourself. I'm sure pretty soon you'll find someone else." 

"Oh, thank you Donny...as I said I'm horribly sorry about this...I didn't deserve you anyway." She got up to leave, quite shaken. "I've got to go now, I need some time alone. Good-bye, Donny." 

"Good-bye Daphne, and thank you...for everything." 

She removed her engagement ring and laid it on the table, and left. 

-------------------- 

"She's out with Donny right now, I'm sure, probably making wedding plans," Niles said aloud to his apartment, observing his nightly ritual of suffering through his own private emotional hell. He knew there was almost no chance that he could sit through the wedding intact, but he was sure Daphne and Donny would expect him to go and if he didn't it would require and explanation...but he didn't want to think about THAT anymore. 

He thought even if she was available, Daphne probably wouldn't go for a man like him anyway. She did claim to be psychic; surely she knew about his feelings, and she hadn't said a word about it. No, he remembered bitterly, she preferred more of a "manly man" type. So all his qualities, even with his brilliant intellect, success, exquisite good taste, and sensitivity, all more or less added up to nothing in Daphne's eyes. 

He had had enough, lived with it for too long, and now his pain seemed never-ending and his depression ever-deepening. He could hardly stand to see her anymore, it was too painful. A far cry from the days when merely looking at her or the smell of her hair seemed to compensate for all he had to put up with from Maris. He walked over to the window and opened it, looking down at the city far below. He felt the cool breeze and heard the cars passing by and saw several couples out for another Saturday night together, and he felt envious knowing it would be something he would never experience with Daphne. He almost, for a brief moment, considered stepping off the ledge and just ending his whole miserable life then and there, but he quickly perished the thought, and returned to his chair, still staring outside. 

-------------------- 

Daphne had been in tears driving home, she could hardly believe what had happened. She needed to talk to someone, but whom? Roz, home, on a Saturday night? That'll be a first, she thought. Frasier was having dinner with Cassandra, and Martin had gone out with Duke and some friends. But what about Niles? He might be home, and he was always willing to listen to her and she counted him as a true friend. With her mind made up, she headed for the Montana. 

-------------------- 

Niles was still sitting and looking out the window when he heard a knock at the door. "Oh, what NOW? Can't I just have some PEACE?" he said to himself, annoyed, as he went to answer the door. And then his annoyance faded to shock as he looked through the spy-hole and saw Daphne. He quickly recovered and let her in. 

"Hello, Daphne, is everything all right?" asked Niles, who noticed she appeared to have been crying. "Can I get you anything?" 

"Oh, sure, a drink would be fine." 

He went into the kitchen to pour the drinks, still slightly dazed and extremely curious as to what was going on. He returned with the drinks and found her sitting on the couch, and handed her a drink and sat down facing her on the opposite end. 

"Oh, Dr. Crane, I feel horrible and I need someone to talk to." 

"Well, go ahead, Daphne." 

She started to speak but instead broke into tears again. Niles moved over and put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, and he attempted to reassure her until she finally recovered, telling him all about the break-up with Donny. 

"...it's just that I wasn't in love with him...and I knew it was the right thing to do but I feel so bad about it." 

"Well, Daphne, you did the right thing, just give it some time, and I think you both will be fine,." Niles answered, feeling nervous, confused, and excited all at once. Should he tell her? But would it be taking advantage of her when she was vulnerable? 

"Oh, Dr. Crane, you always know just what to say," said Daphne. She leaned forward and hugged him, and just as he discreetly sniffed her hair, a bright flash appeared in the window, followed by an earth-shattering BANG! of a thunderbolt. The lights flickered once, twice, and then went out, as they heard the hammer of heavy rain come suddenly pouring down. Niles moved quickly to shut the window, and soon they both raided his candle supply and set them throughout the room for light, and they returned to the couch. 

Suddenly, Daphne asked him "I hate to impose, Dr. Crane, but with the weather like it is and in the state I'm in I don't think I can drive home. Would you mind if I stayed the night here? 

"Why sure, Daphne, it wouldn't be imposing at all," Niles replied, a bit taken aback. Now is the perfect opportunity, he thought, even down to the candlelight and sound of the rain. But would it be taking advantage of her, and how would she see it? He wavered between extremes, but then Daphne spoke and decided for him. 

"You know, Dr. Crane, this man of my visions, is driving me nuts lately as to his identity. You're a psychiatrist, what would you say about it?" 

"Well, can you make out ANY details, Daphne?" 

"He appears as a slender man, average height, often very well dressed, which gives me the impression he must be educated and successful. He never actually speaks so I can't make out his voice, and his head is always a blur. Cut the strangest thing is that I get the feeling he is someone quite familiar. But if that was the case why haven't I seen it?" 

"Interesting," commented Niles, growing more excited. 

But Daphne suddenly changed the subject. "Have you ever been in love, Dr. Crane?' 

Niles suddenly became very anxious, he felt his heart start to race and sweat bead up on his forehead. "Yes...once. And it wasn't Maris." 

"Well, I never have. So if you don't mind me asking, what happened?" 

"Well...I didn't think it would ever work. We seemed so...different. She never seemed to see me as anything other than a trusted friend and I didn't think she'd ever want me." 

"Why not, Dr. Crane? You're smart, successful, and, I must admit, quite handsome." 

"Oh, nonsense, Daphne," Niles said, blushing. "Besides, I never was very good with relationships." 

"Well, did you ever tell this woman how you felt?" 

"No... I was so afraid of rejection for so long, and I was married, and when I finally built up enough confidence in myself to tell her, she was with someone else. But I came close on several occasions, just bad timing..." Niles was still quite anxious, he felt as if he was going to overheat soon and butterflies were pounding in his stomach. 

"Well, Dr. Crane, don't you regret not telling her? I mean, wasn't she worth a try?" 

"Yes, Daphne, she was." "What was she like, this dream woman of yours?" 

He looked into her eyes, and said "She was incredibly beautiful. Tall, skin like porcelain, limpid bedroom eyes, pouting lips, a smile that made me feel weak all over, and she was the most lovely, sweet, kind and caring person I have ever met. She never had much luck with men, though I cant imagine why. But from the day that we met, I fell in love with her. I would have sworn she was a goddess." 

"Wow," said Daphne, blushing a bit, amazed. "I wish someone would say that about me." 

Suddenly, she caught a strange shape out of the corner of her eye. It was a dark object, about 6-10 inches high, perched on the fireplace. It almost looked like...a dragon...like the one in her vision! So that meant the man of her dreams was...NILES? "Of course!" she thought. Well-dressed, thin, educated and intelligent man-it all made perfect sense...which explained why he had been acting so odd around her and Donny. 

At the same time, Niles replied to what she had just said. "Daphne, someone just has." 

Daphne's thoughts paused briefly, taking it in, and then she thought back to all those times she could have sworn he was smelling her hair, to the date with "Phyllis," the time when they had danced the tango and she thought his "acting" (and even hers) had been all too convincing. But how had she been so blind? Probably, she realized, because deep down she knew, yet refused to believe someone like him with his Ivy-League education and his society friends and millionaire ex-wife would fall for a working-class Manchester girl like herself...but, she thought, it wasn't because she didn't secretly want him somewhere in the recesses of her psyche, where she knew they were meant to be together. 

All this went through her mind in an instant, though to Niles it felt like an eternity, feeling hot enough for a volcano, the butterflies in his stomach performing aerobatics, his blood racing so fast he could feel his pulse throbbing in his head, not believing he had just uttered those words to her. 

"Yes, Daphne," he went on. "That's right. I've been in love with you for the past six years, from the moment we first met. I just couldn't bring myself to say it until now. I understand if you want to just laugh at me or whatever, I never thought I was your type..." 

But then he fell silent, looking at Daphne and seeing her draw closer to him, and he slowly moved towards her and suddenly their lips met, and they kissed, hesitantly at first, but then more fiercely. Niles slid one hand around her waist and he ran the other one through her hair, which, as usual, smelled of strawberries and vanilla, a scent that had seemingly narcotic powers over Niles, and at this point he felt nearly delirious. 

"Oh, Daphne, I have been waiting so long for this!" he said, punctuating his words by removing his tie and tossing it onto the floor. 

"If only I had known sooner," she answered, somewhat breathlessly, as she began unbuttoning his shirt. 

"Well, never mind that," he continued, kissing her neck and moving down to her shoulders. 

"Who...cares..." she said, in between deep breaths as he slid down the straps of her dress and kissing her shoulders, "tonight I'm all yours!" 

"Wait a minute," Niles said, sitting up. 

"What's wrong?" Daphne asked him, concerned. 

"Oh, nothing's wrong!" he said, picking her up and carrying her upstairs to the bedroom. (Normally, he would have been unable to even try carrying her but at this point he felt as if he could indeed do anything.) 

-------------------- 

The next morning Niles woke up to see the sunlight streaming through his bedroom window. He felt a strange sensation, and looked down to see a delicate, cream-colored arm stretched across his chest. He slowly looked over, and saw Daphne asleep on her side next to him, her face framed by the rays of sunlight and her hair draped over his shoulder. She looks like an angel, he thought, for perhaps the thousandth time. He was surprised, relieved, and dazed to realize last night's events had actually happened and were not part of some wonderful dream, infinitely better than anything with Maris had ever been. 

For now, he contented himself with gazing down at Daphne, content just to be this close to her. Then he bent down, gently brushing the hair back from her face, kissing her lightly on the forehead and whispering in her ear "I love you, Daphne." 

She stirred gently and murmured "mmm...good morning, Niles." She, too, was a bit dazed by what had happened. She had always pictured Niles as somewhat stuffy, impeccably neat and precise. But on the inside, she thought, he was surprisingly passionate and romantic. Of course, she thought, they had finally released all of the tension of six years of holding back. But certainly Niles seemed to have so many different sides to him, wonderfully complex, she thought. 

And yet another side of Niles never before seen was revealed to her also, since, for perhaps the first time in his entire life, Niles Crane was truly happy. 

-------------------- 

THE END 

MORE TO COME   
  
  



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